School Board Discusses Future After Sandy Hook Shooting

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The Board of Education in Newtown met Tuesday night for the first time since the December 14th tragedy. School officials admit a lot has happened since their last meeting in early December.

"We've been through a lot together and we will continue to weather this," said Janet Robinson, Newtown's Superintendent. She presented four key items at the meeting.

She and Board Chair Debbie Leidlein opened by thanking the neighboring town of Monroe for their kindness and generosity, namely allowing the students of Sandy Hook to remain as a unit

"The ability to keep our school together, words can't describe what a generous gift that is," Leidlein added.

Parents gathered for the board's first meeting at Reed Intermediate School on Travers Lane. Many came to express their desire for police to continue to remain at area schools, including Amy Roman who moved to Newtown with her family three years ago specifically for the school system.

"We feel it has gone from a want to a need," said Roman. Her kids do not go to Sandy Hook.

In her Superintendent report, Robinson laid out some of her ideas for moving forward including asking the state commissioner of education to waive the requirement of 180 days in class for Sandy Hook students; having a more aggressive security committee; continuing with the plan to beef up police presence at school; and waiving the need for Sandy Hook students to take a mandate state test because it might provoke too much anxiety.

"Every day we go through as a district we're doing better," Robinson said.

The board's chair insists there are a lot of unknowns going forward. They want to keep their focus on helping and aiding those who are still suffering from the school shooting. As a board, they feel they will learn more about long term needs in the next few months.